Boltless expansion and connecting joint



March 3, 1936. c. H. PARIS 2,32,7I13

BOLTLESS EXPANSION AND CONNECTING JOINT Filed May 25, 1933 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES BOLTLESS EXPANSION AND CONNECTING JOINT Clarence H. Paris, Springfield, Ill.

Application May 25, 1933, Serial No. 672,772

7 Claims.

My invention relates to joints by which the adjacent ends of connected supporting and bracing members are held together in longitudinal alignment; an object being in my invention to provide a substantial connecting joint between adjacent abutting supporting and bracing members in engineering projects, such as, for instance railway tracks, bridges, steel framed buildings and the like and more especially to provide such a joint as will permit longitudinal expansion in the members connected thereby as well as to provide a joint possessing physical characteristics which will permit the same vertical and lateral flexibility under loading as that of the continuous mem- '5 bers connected by the joint.

While the broad purpose of my invention is to provide a substantial and wholly practical expansion and connecting joint between abutting ends of girders, supporting plates, braces, and the like 29' yet for the sake of explanation of the merits of my invention when used as a rail joint for railroad rails I have chosen to point out in this specification the salient features of the invention as is illustrated in its possible connection with railroad irons and I beams; hence the detailed description which follows will be directed to the inventions description in this instance as a boltless rail joint for railroads.

A particular purpose of my invention is to provide in this instance a boltless rail joint possessing those characteristics of strength, longitudinal expansion and flexibility that are found in the continuous rail body itself; a result which has been long sought for among experimenting engineers in this field. Thus with my rail joint I propose to provide a joint permitting needed expansion in the rails, a joint which occupies a relatively small space in its rail connection and a joint which greatly reduces the number of working parts over the number of parts used in connection with an angle bar and bolt joint construction.

Engineers concede that the rail joint which is the nearest approach to these characteristics of the rail body will be the most practical joint available so long as it provides for the needed expansion, strength and flexibility.

With my invention I propose to provide a rail joint permitting expansion and contraction in the aligned rail as well as the needed vertical flexibility under heavy train stresses and also a rail joint possessing characteristics of lateral flexibility that is common to the continuous rail body itself without interfering with the normal, steady and continuous limited wave motion and torque in the rail as 'the train wheels pass over the same.

In my invention I provide a rail joint with a minimum number of parts which will enable the connected rails to meet the load passing from one rail to the next during the passing of a train without developing rail batter, a condition which 5 develops due to the pounding of the rail ends when the rails are not held together properly.

In the existing angle bar and bolt type of rail joint it is found to be virtually impossible to hold the rail ends up to a uniform level resulting in 10 what is known as rail batter. This tendency necessitates usually an attendant expense of building up the rail ends to attempt to. bring them back to their original contour but during the time that they are being battered even over a short period of time the cross ties under the joints or near them are being hammered into the ballast resulting in so called low joints which means that the track is developing a wave in the rail surface or an unevenness which causes hard 20 riding, all due to the lack of fit at the rail joint incident to the use of boltedangle bars for holding rail ends together.

When railway rails are secured together, there must 'be an allowance for expansion in the metal 25 thereof and there must also be a support for the rails which will permit a limited vertical flexibility and any rail joint which is practical will provide for such conditions but bolted joints have been found to be expensive to maintain as well as com- 30 paratively ineifective for holding the rail ends in their desired substantial alignment with their necessary expansion and vertical flexibility.

Bolted joints will permit too much vertical flexibility resulting in wearing the top flange of the 3-5 angle bar near the rail ends and introduces play in the joint on the under side of the railhead causing low joints resulting in bad riding track.

Uneven bolt tension affects the stability of the joint so that when the bolts are loose the loads 40 on the rail do not have end stresses carried across the joint gapas they should. There is a tendency to develop excessive play in the angle bars increasing rail batter making it more difiicult to maintainsurface in the joint. With such char- 4'5 acteris'tic weaknesses in angle bar and bolt rail joints there is certain to develop a costly track upkeep.

I choose to provide a rail joint possessing a flexibility and stiffness through the joint that 50 there is found in the continuous rail. Thus when the two rail ends are held to a uniform surface without'relative vertical play there will be no necessity for spacing of cross ties in any Particular position with respect to the joint.

recess or socket I I of section 1 between flanges In my invention my purpose is to provide for the joint gap a substantial joint below the rail head which provides with it a section of metal not only equivalent to but somewhat larger in cross-sectional area than the web of the rail.

I attain the objects of my invention by the boltless rail joint described in this specification; recited in the claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein the same numerals indicate like parts wherever shown.

Referring to the figures:

Figure 1 is a perspective of the boltless rail joint of my invention.

Figure 2 is a perspectiveof the end of a rail with a portion of the web cut out showing the shape of each of the adjacent ends of adjacent joint device of my invention.

0. of section '1 are each high enough to fit snugly rails and shaped to receive the rail joint of my invention. I

Figure 3 is a perspective of the male section of the rail joint before the parts are put together in a shop as an assembled joint.

Figure 4 is a perspective of the female section of my rail joint before its assembly with the male joint section shown in Figure 3.

"Figure 5 illustrates the male section as when mounted in the end of the rail.

' Figure 6 illustrates in perspective the female section when mounted in the end of a rail.

Figure 7 is a side view of a pair of connected rails held together by my joint invention with the reinforcing blocks welded into place in the joints. I

Figure 8 is a perspective of an I beam adaptation of my expansion joint.

Figure 9 is a perspective illustrating the assembled joint of my invention as put together in a Y In'order to secure the best results with my invention it is thought that the adjacent ends of connected rails should have the web of the rail removed in a suitable manner for a short ways back of the end sufl'icient to snugly receive the The assembly and installation of my railjoint is very simple in mechanical detail and simple to understand, while the substantial character of its construction provides an augmented strength for the. rail joint rather than a weakened character. a

For the sake of explanation of my invention, I provide in a rail end I a terminal flange notch 2 and in a rail end 3 a terminal flange notch 4. A section 5 of my joint device having a central web or hook member 6 is adapted to fit into notch 2 of rail end I; while section 1 of my joint device may be fitted into notch 4 of rail end 3 Where rail end I and rail end 3 may be said to be the adjacent ends of rails to be connected.

. When sections 5 and I are assembled together they are so fitted as to permit central web member .6 to fit in between flange members 8 and 9, allowing hook ll! of web 6 to seat down into the 8. and 9; while at the same time hooks I2 and I3 respectively engage notches I4 and I5 on corresponding sides of web 6. It will be noted that the rear plate I6 of section 5 and the rear plate I'I into the end notches 2 and 4 respectively of rail ends I and 3 respectively. It will also be noted that'when sections 5 and 1 of my boltless rail joint are inter-connected, there is a space above by the notches 2 and 4 as rail ends I and 3 abut in their longitudinal alignment, as is shown in Figures 1 and 7. In this position it will be noted that the abutting ends of thera'ils align vertically with the inner ends 20 and 2| of the joint sections 5 and 1.

Thus when installed my rail joint may be welded all around the edges of both sections where the edges come'in contact with the rails, as shown in the drawing which illustrates the welding line in Figure 1, Figure 7, and Figure 8; lugs I8 and I9 are also welded along the edges where they contact with the underside of the rail heads. These lugs, however, are first welded into their fitting position in their assembly with the joint section respectively after the sections have been fitted together before fitting the joint into the abutting notched rail ends. It will be thus observed that all contacts of my rail joint with the rails are preferably welded or otherwise integrally attached for withstanding the necessary high reactions set up in the'rail with any loaded movement of the rail, leaving the joint sections free to slidably move longitudinally to the extent per mitted by the spaces 22 and 23. These spaces 22- and 23 are defined by the difference in longitu dinal dimension respectively between hook members I2 and I3 and notch members I4 and I5 respectively, as well as the difference in the same dimension between hook member III. on central web 6 and the recess or socket II in the base of section 1.

Where the central web member 6 forming an integral part of section 5 is slidably fitted snugly between flange members 8 and 9, it will thus per mit a lateral flexibility normally found in the continuous rail body.

It'will be noted in Figure 8 that the joint of my invention is installed as a connection and expansion joint for I beams 26 and 21 and this is merely to illustrate a further practical adaptation of my joint to use in connection with girders, supporting plates, trusses, braces, and the like.

With my rail joint thus assembled and snugly fitted into operative position with the welding thereof where the respective sections contact with the rails, there will thus be a boltless support for the connected rail ends I and 3, allowing longitudinal expansion of the rails with an ample sup port for the adjacent connected abutting rail ends, oifering every possible means of stability which may be desired with vertical flexibility equivalent to that of the rail body itself; while the means which I employ in interlocking sections 5 and I of my boltless rail joint permit longitudinal expansion and limited vertical flexibility and thus permit a lateral flexibility which is characteristic of the continuous rail body, carrying load stresses more successfully than is possible with angle plates and bolts which have com-v monly been used since an early date, approximately one hundred years ago. 7

Railroad engineers will especially appreciate the comparative efilciency and economy provided in my rail joint particularly when compared with the bolted angle bar joint now in common use with its numerous parts in order tosecure any degree of efiiciency. For instancasuch engineers will be reminded that the. replacement of the present bolted joint (with its 14 working parts in the case of a four-hold joint bar or 20 parts in the case of a six-hold bar), with a 2-piece joint will eliminate much in the way of inspections and maintenance expense.

To those skilled in the railway construction art, it will be observed that the respective sections of my boltless rail joint may be made complete in the shop where they may be machined and fitted before installation and require only the installation and Welding when out on the job.

Having thus described the nature of my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a rail joint a pair of rails having portions of the adjacent rail Webs removed, a boxlike structure adapted for attachment in the space provided by said removed portions, said box-like structure comprising a plurality of members; means formed on said members permitting limited relative longitudinal movement and means also formed on said members preventing relative vertical and lateral movement, and means for attaching said members each respectively to an adjacent rail end.

2. In a rail joint a pair of rails having portions of the adjacent rail webs removed, a box-like structure adapted for attachment in the space provided by said removed portions, sai-d box-like structure comprising a plurality of flanking plate members; stop members formed on said flanking plate members permitting limited relative longitudinal movement thereof, and means also formed on said plate members preventing relative vertical and lateral movement; said box-like structure having said longitudinally adjustable members welded each respectively to an adjacent rail end.

3. A rail joint comprising a pair of railroad rails having portions of their adjacent rail webs removed, a box-like joint unit having portions slidably connected and shaped to limit their relative longitudinal movement and prevent vertical and lateral movement thereof; said box-like structure fitted into the space provided by said removed rail web portions and said longitudinally adjustable portions of the box-like structure welded each respectively to the adjacent rail end.

4. A rail joint comprising a pair of railroad rails having portions of their adjacent rail webs removed, a box-like joint unit having portions slidably connected and shaped to limit their relative longitudinal movement and prevent vertical and lateral movement thereof; said box-like structure fitted into the space provided by said removed rail web portions and said longitudinally adjustable portions of the box-like structure welded each respectively to the adjacent rail end, on each side of each rail.

5. As a new article of manufacture a box-like joint unit adapted for attachment to adjacent ends of adjacent rails in a space provided by removal of a portion of the web of each rail; said box-like joint unit having portions slidably movable longitudinally and provided with means preventing vertical and lateral movement and including as one portion side plates shaped at one end to define a pair of lateral stop member hooks and provided intermediate said side plates with an integral base plate shaped to define a bottom recess therein in the rearward portion thereof; the other portion including a central tongue slidably movable between said side plates and shaped at its terminal to define a stop member hook adapted to seat within said bottom recess of said base plate of the first portion, and provided with an integral base plate shaped on each side of said central tongue portion to define a stop member hook for slidably engaging said stop member hooks on said side plates of the first portion; whereby said unit may be made and assembled in the factory and taken to a railroad where adjacent rail ends of adjacent rails have had a portion of their central web removed and said unit seated into the space defined by said removal of the web and said unit welded with the first portion to one rail and the second portion to the adjacent rail, thus to define a substantial rail joint providing longitudinal expansion in the rails and substantial interbridging support for a load passing over said rails.

6. The method of forming a rail joint between adjacent rail ends consisting of removing per-- tions of the adjacent rail webs, forming a boxlike structure adapted for attachment in the space provided by said removed portions with said box-like structure comprising a plurality of members, means formed on said members permitting limited relative longitudinal movement 40 and means also formed on said members preventing relative vertical and lateral movement, and attaching the members of said box-like structure each respectively to an adjacent rail end of said rails.

7. The method of forming a rail joint between adjacent rail ends consisting of removing portions of the adjacent rail webs, forming a boxlike structure adapted for attachment in the space provided by said removed portions with said box-like structure comprising a plurality of members, means formed on said members permitting limited relative longitudinal movement and means also formed on said members preventing relative vertical and lateral movement, and

welding the members of said box-like structure each respectively to an adjacent rail end of said rails.

CLARENCE H. PARIS. 

